CoveragePost
June 18, 2026
Analysis by Keith Rankin.Role: Economic historian. Keith Rankin, 18 June 2026 – The latest quarterly economic growth data were released by Statistics today. The following chart summarises eight-quarter (ie two yearly) economic growth rates from 1990. I have colour coded the data to match the political party leading the government for each period. (Shades are lighter ... <a title="Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – New Zealand Economic Growth Update" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/06/18/keith-rankin-chart-analysis-new-zealand-economic-growth-update/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – New Zealand Economic Growth Update">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
June 17, 2026
Yesterday morning I listened to John Cambell (RNZ) interviewing an Iranian-born New Zealander, who came to Australia as a refugee 42 years ago, and subsequently moved on to New Zealand.
CoveragePost
June 11, 2026
In the movie, Mary Mapes – under inquisition – was accused of conducting her research under a 'liberal' presumption that George Bush was guilty; whereas, under formal law, accused persons should enjoy the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise. Dan Rather was accused, implicitly, of lacking judgement by going along with this...
CoveragePost
May 22, 2026
Keynesian economics tells us that the most reliable circuit-breakers are exports and government spending. New Zealand's exports are booming, and have been for a while. But for New Zealand that's still far from enough; New Zealand needs a government spending circuit breaker as well.
CoveragePost
May 22, 2026
I cannot imagine the age for KiwiSaver entitlement staying at 65 – what today is loosely called the 'retirement age' – while the age of pension entitlement is raised to 67 or higher. Requiring people to wait until they are 67 before they can access their retirement savings may prove to be even more unpopular than raising the pension-entitlement age.
CoveragePost
May 15, 2026
Keith Rankin - Is it possible that an unintended consequence of moral compliance in relation to pay equity – of attempts to equalise pay by gender, within firms and other employing organisations – has been to create more young adult female NEETs? It's a hypothesis that at least deserves to be investigated further.
CoveragePost
May 15, 2026
Keith Rankin - We can easily see that the United States 'national' debt is on an upwards, not a downwards, trajectory; the Department of War can loosen Treasury's guard-rails more easily than the Department of Health. (This is true in Germany too, with last-year's partial removal of that country's debt-brake.)
CoveragePost
May 15, 2026
Keith Rankin - A lethal transmissible disease which is asymptomatic for six weeks, and which is infectious before symptoms occur, is one of our worst public health nightmares. The present scare should remind us of that.
CoveragePost
May 15, 2026
Despite its minimal emphasis in the anglophile understanding of WWI, the central conflict of that war was between the German Second Reich (the Prussian Empire) and Russia (the Russian Empire). The war was started, with full intent, by the German military who were able to play the emotionally volatile Prussian Kaiser, Wilhelm II.
CoveragePost
May 8, 2026
Keith Rankin - What would happen if the Strait of Hormuz was blocked by a giant earthquake? Then a pipe, tunnel, road or canal would have to be built. There would be no argument then about a portage fee being charged.
CoveragePost
May 8, 2026
Keith Rankin - New Zealand is increasingly becoming a country with a high denizen-to-citizen ratio. New rules intended to make it more difficult for New Zealand permanent residents to become citizens of Aotearoa New Zealand can be expected to keep more immigrants here. That may be the intention.
CoveragePost
May 8, 2026
Keith Rankin - Before mentioning crime, cocaine and apartheid, we should note that Sweden is a large-scale military systems exporter. For Sweden, the 'big gun' industry is equivalent to the dairy industry in New Zealand as a source of foreign exchange revenue.
